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Three members of the Lawrence University faculty — all teaching in the sciences — have been granted 2019 tenure appointments.

The college’s Board of Trustees, based on recommendations by the faculty Committee on Tenure, Promotion, Reappointment and Equal Employment Opportunity, and President Mark Burstein, granted tenure to Allison Fleshman (chemistry), Alyssa Hakes (biology) and Brian Piasecki (biology). All three have been promoted to associate professor, effective Sept. 1.

“Lawrence has some of the best faculty in the world; I can say that with certainty because I get the immense pleasure of seeing direct evidence testifying to that fact every year in reviewing the accomplishments of faculty who stand for tenure,” said Catherine Gunther Kodat, provost and dean of the faculty. “This year’s tenure class had the unique aspect of really showing off faculty talent in the sciences. Alyssa, Brian, and Allison are not only doing stellar work in their labs, they are true teacher-scholars, who meaningfully involve their students deeply in their own research.

“I am delighted that
they have chosen Lawrence as their intellectual home, and look forward to
applauding their accomplishments in the future.”

To help you get to know the three new tenure appointments a little better, we gave them each four questions to answer:

Allison Fleshman

Allison Fleshman

Promoted to associate professor of chemistry. Joined Lawrence in 2013. Fleshman has a bachelor of science degree in physics and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Oklahoma.

What or who inspired you to pursue chemistry?

“I’ve always been
in awe of nature, and trying to unlock her secrets is the job of a scientist.
My particular science, physical chemistry, is about
understanding how nature’s building blocks — atoms and molecules — interact and
move about.

“As
an undergraduate, I couldn’t decide between physics and chemistry, so what a
delight when I worked as an undergraduate summer researcher with physical
chemist Roger Frech (who later became my doctoral advisor) and learned I could
do both. It’s incredible to look at a chemical problem as a physicist
and see the mathematical interworkings unfold.

“I
also love to teach and share my passion for this subject, so working at
Lawrence allows me to share physical chemistry with students in class sizes
that are small enough that we can really dive deep into the material. I often
joke that I get paid to read a textbook and share my findings with a captive
audience — I absolutely love it.”

What about the work you’re
doing at Lawrence has you the most excited?

“My
research looks into what makes liquids flow, which seems like something we
should understand. But as we learn more about materials on the molecular level
we discover that our understanding is incomplete. What excites me most about
this work is that it is rewriting what is in the textbooks.

“My students often take the textbook as absolute truth, but this work helps them see that even our most agreed upon understanding still has room for improvement. In addition, the liquids I study are called ionic liquids — salts in the liquid form — and they are showing great promise as materials for carbon sequestration, and could help revolutionize industrial processes that emit greenhouse gases. It is essential that we all act to combat global climate change, and this research lets me fight it both in the lab and in the classroom.”

How do you think your
students would describe your teaching style?

“My students probably wouldn’t argue that I love my subject more than humanly possible and think physical chemistry is one of the most beautiful disciplines to study. That enthusiasm also seeps into my teaching. ‘Go Team’ is a phrase I say quite often, and I think my students would liken me to their cheerleader/coach, encouraging them to push themselves beyond their comfort zone and embrace the challenging path.”

What’s something you do outside of work that gives you joy?

“I
practice yoga on a daily basis and find peace and serenity in that daily
ritual. I am also a co-owner of a local brewery located in downtown Appleton
with my husband and his family called McFleshman’s Brewing Co. When I’m not in
the classroom, I’m in the taproom supporting the family’s efforts to
make traditional English and German beers. My chemistry skills help us
bridge the art of brewing with fermentation science and those efforts yield
some delicious pints. Cheers!”

Alyssa Hakes

Alyssa Hakes

Promoted to associate professor of biology. Joined Lawrence in 2012. Hakes holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Ph.D. from Louisiana State University.

What or who inspired you to pursue biology?

“I wanted to be an ecologist since I was a kid. I fell in love with nature reading Ranger Rick magazines and through hiking and camping with my family and Girl Scouts. I first became interested in insects during the 17-year periodical cicada emergence of 1990 in the Chicago area. I collected a bunch and brought them to ‘show and tell.’

“My interest in
plants started when I made a wildflower trail for my Girl Scout Gold Award
project, and then continued in college when I went on a research trip to Panama
to study rainforest plants. Because of that experience, I know how important
faculty-mentored undergraduate research opportunities are to the development of
a young scientist. By specializing in ecological interactions between plants
and insects, I was able to combine all of my interests in botany, entomology,
and ecology into one research program.”

What
about the work you’re doing at Lawrence has you the most excited?

“My lab has been doing an exciting project in Door County involving a rare plant and invasive insect. The federally-threatened Pitcher’s thistle is a native plant that is found only in sand dune habitats of the Great Lakes. Recently, an ‘evil weevil’ has invaded the sand dunes and is eating the seeds of the plant, which is bad news.

“My students and I take
summer research trips to the Lake Michigan field site and have discovered areas
of the dune where weevil damage is more intense and less intense. Our data show
that dune elevation and neighboring plant community influence weevil dispersal
and damage. We are now using this knowledge to develop methods for controlling
the insect and conserving the plant. The proximity of our field site to
Bjorklunden has been key to our success. And it’s fun to have a beach as a
summer office.”

How do
you think your students would describe your teaching style?

“I hope that my
passion for the content comes through in my lectures. I like finding creative
ways to demonstrate biological concepts in class, whether it’s making insect
mouthpart puppets, throwing cut-out paper ‘seeds’ off the atrium balcony to
study dispersal, anaesthetizing a touch-sensitive plant in class, or baking
horrible-tasting cookies for students to demonstrate ‘Batesian Mimicry.’

“I like to be a
little goofy and rarely pass on an opportunity to make a lame pun, adapt a meme
to a class topic for a laugh, or tell stories that connect students with the
material and make class more enjoyable. Through course evaluations, students
have called me helpful, caring, and approachable. I don’t think I’ve been
described as ‘hilarious’ on a course evaluation yet, but that’s secretly the
dream.

What’s something you do outside of work that gives you joy?

“I enjoy spending
time with my spouse and two kids. It’s fun seeing our kids develop their
personalities and watching them try new things for the first time. We try to
spend time with both sets of their grandparents as often as we can, which is a
real privilege.

“I am active in my
Appleton church, and I love being invited to talk about the science of
evolution with my congregation. Evolution was something I once misunderstood as
a teenager, but has become an exciting and integral part of my scientific
career. It brings me joy to share my passion for evolutionary biology with
others in my faith community. I also teach Sunday School.

Brian Piasecki

Brian Piasecki

Promoted to associate professor of biology. Joined Lawrence in 2011. Piasecki holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas, a master’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.

What or who inspired you to pursue biology?

“Growing up my two
biggest hobbies were building and taking things apart and experiencing nature
through a variety of activities like camping, hiking, and climbing. I didn’t
realize it at the time, but the type of cell biology I do merges both of these
interests. I now study how the individual molecular constituents of cells
affect the function of organisms as a whole, and because I focus on
evolutionarily conserved processes, this allows for me to simultaneously
understand how organisms function and to more broadly experience the
awesomeness of life.”

What about the work you’re doing
at Lawrence has you the most excited?

“The old cliché that
says a picture represents a thousand words works at both the macro and
microscopic level, so biological imaging is what excites me most. I am enamored
by visualizing cellular processes and sharing this passion with students by
showing them how to use a variety of different microscopes. To me there is
nothing more rewarding than watching a student grasp a biological concept by
visualizing it with their own eyes.”

How do you think your students
would describe your teaching style?

“I think students
would describe me as highly engaged. I equally love biology and trying to make
biology relevant to others.”

What’s something you do outside of work that gives you joy?

“As much as I enjoy working with others and having a family, I am actually a little more introverted by nature. Therefore, I really enjoy hobbies that allow for me to disconnect for a while, like woodworking. A few years ago, I discovered the ‘pocket hole,’ which is a really easy method for making rock-solid wood joints. Some might consider it cheating, but to me it provides an easy way to build my own durable and functional things around the house. In the past few years I have built a bathroom vanity, a couple of cabinets, and a combined shoe rack/bench.”